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The oil and gas industry is known for its rapid technological advancements and the complexity of its operations, increasingly relying on data-intensive management. As subsea projects—from exploration to decommissioning—become more complex and data-driven, integrating knowledge management (KM) and database management systems (DBMS) has become essential. The research specifically explores how KM and DBMS contribute to decision-making, utilizing a quantitative methodology through a questionnaire survey. Findings reveal that KM processes significantly improve the effectiveness of non-spatial data management, highlighting KM's crucial role in facilitating technology adoption and operational efficiency. However, the influence of KM on spatial data management and overall decision-making is found to be limited, indicating the necessity for more adaptive and integrated KM strategies that serve the unique requirements of database systems. This study underscores the critical but nuanced role of KM and DBMS in the oil and gas industry, advocating for tailored KM strategies to optimize database management. It suggests future research into the interplay of KM with emerging technologies like AI and machine learning to enhance database management. This investigation stresses the importance of holistic KM practices in effectively managing the intricate data landscapes of subsea project services, thereby contributing to the broader discourse on KM, DBMS, and decision-making in complex settings.

Micro, Small, and Medium Business (MSMEs) are vital to the Indonesian economic development, and the government is focusing on this sector for post-pandemic recovery. There is an emphasis on infrastructure such as urban green spaces, or Ruang Terbuka Hijau (RTH). RTHs have untapped potential as centers for agricultural and processing MSMEs. However, these businesses often face financing challenges, prompting the exploration of alternative scheme like crowdfunding. Therefore, this study aimed to (1) explore how RTH lands can be leveraged for local economic activities, and (2) devise a public fund-based crowdfunding financing model. Using RTH Kalijodo in Jakarta as a case study, the study included literature reviews, benchmarking, fieldwork, and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis. The results show the need for the development of vertical hydroponics, tilapia farming, and tilapia fillet processing business in RTH Kalijodo. Financial analyses, including IRR calculations exceeding the 10.41% WACC, a positive NPV, and a payback period under five years, show the financial viability of these sectors.

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is the health and comfort issues experienced by people during the time indoor. As urban dwellers typically spend 90% of the time indoor, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) becomes essential. Consequently, ensuring appropriate air exchange in building is essential, with Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) system playing a crucial ole in maintaining indoor comfort. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a predictive machine learning (ML) model using Industry 4.0 technological advancements to optimize HVAC system design that meets IAQ parameters in Indonesia healthy building (HB). An extensive literature review was carried out to identify IAQ parameters specific to Indonesia HB. Furthermore, four ML models were developed using the RapidMiner Studio application, validated with the Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and confusion matrix methods. The results showed that the cooling load and the chiller-type prediction models had a relative error of 1.11% and 3.33%. Meanwhile, Air Handling Unit (AHU) type and filter area predictive model had a relative error of 10% and 1.22%, respectively. These errors showed the accuracy of ML model in predicting HVAC system of HB.

The European Union (EU) has long been regarded as a model for global rail liberalization. Rail reform experiences from EU members have been well documented in recent years to comply with new EU legislation requiring EU members to introduce competition for passenger rail services beginning in 2020. However, outside of Europe, the discussion of rail restructuring remains limited. This article examined rail reform in South East Asia, more specifically in Indonesia, by examining domestic policy, access charges, and pricing principles, as well as market growth. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a comparative analysis of two European Union members – Germany and France – to identify lessons learned. Several critical issues include the following: 1) the vertical integration model used in France and Germany can be adopted with some adjustments to accommodate the national context; 2) government support through the use of subsidies cannot be separated from public transportation such as railways, but the amount will most likely depend on the rail market, policy, and institutional landscape; and 3) an independent regulatory body should be established to open the rail market to competition and promote fair access and contracting.

Continuing with my previous editorial notes on smart cities and technology advancement, this note discusses how smart cities can be enablers to achieving sustainable development agendas. Smart cities harness technological and digital solutions to address urban challenges and continuously improve citizens’ quality of life. The key benefits of smart cities include maximizing benefit optimization and resource efficiency, creating sustainable built environments and infrastructure, increasing citizens’ productivity, and producing better social, economic, and environmental benefits. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) for actionable insights into improving the planning, construction, and operations of city development has provided citizens with more efficient, integrated, and sustainable city services. Smart cities promote equitable access to education, healthcare, and social services, creating a more inclusive and resilient society. Smart cities are able to deliver better services to their citizens. Big data—data collection and utilization—for different areas of public services are integrated, secured, and constantly updated to solve city problems and create faster solutions. Through the Internet of Things (IoT), sensors, and online platforms, the city can be continuously monitored and measured. This allows any policy and required action to be quickly decided upon to ensure a sustainable, positive impact on the city and its residents. Surveillance systems, early warning systems, and citizen collaboration platforms are among the pathways that are capable of preserving the city’s ecosystem and environment. For example, part of the ongoing development of Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara, is dedicated to building a smart, sustainable forest city. Besides infrastructure and physical buildings as the city’s backbone (hardware) and integrated systems that enable the city to operate by connecting physical buildings through digital technology (software), they aim to build the capacity and capability of human resources through technological advancement (brainware). The six sectoral domains of the Nusantara smart city include smart governance, smart transportation and mobility, smart living, smart natural resources, smart industry and people, and smart built environments and infrastructure. Innovative technology use is required to balance economic advancement and environmental regeneration for social well-being. Science and technology play a significant role in achieving sustainable smart cities by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of new ways of development. Investments in green technology, streamlined processes, safer materials, and improved performances and outcomes are some of the results of such development. Technological investments in utilizing renewable energy resources, building urban water systems and sustainable public infrastructure, increasing food production, and producing environmentally friendly materials and products are the pathways through which smart technology will significantly contribute to achieving sustainable development targets.

The new Capital City of Indonesia, Nusantara (Ibu Kota Nusantara - IKN), is set to be inaugurated in August 2024 with celebrations of Indonesia’s national day. The state capital is expected to be a smart, sustainable, and resilient city. Technology, as an enabler of smart city development, will be utilized as a solution to tackle urban problems. For the well-being of societies, technological innovation must contribute to the development of a new model of social, economic, and environmental growth to make the capital city more modern and sustainable. The three main principles for the development of IKN will be the forest city, sponge city, and smart city concepts. Eight key performance indicators have been set up to achieve this development goal: building a city in tune with nature, easily accessed and connected, circular, resilient, safe, affordable, technologically friendly, and, especially, providing economic opportunities for everyone. As the chairman for Technology Transformation and Innovation, Nusantara Authority, let me share with you that IKN is a green city with an area of 256,142 hectares, where 65% of the area is dedicated to tropical forest, 10% to parks and food production, and the rest as urban areas with various zones of mixed use and neighborhoods. The green city will utilize many renewable resources, from green energy to urban air mobility. This means that the city has the potential to be carbon neutral, absorbing more CO2 than it emits. A sustainable approach is important to ensure the fulfillment of future needs by maintaining the ongoing viability of resources. The development of IKN represents both the nation’s identity and a tremendous opportunity to boost economic development and modernize infrastructure. IKN development will serve as the backbone of Indonesian economy generation, as it provides social and economic benefits to society. The development of the modern city of IKN will enable competitive advantages in the global economy and contribute to Indonesia’s economic and social growth. The master plan of IKN, through 1 MPP (1 Map-1 Plan-1 Policy), reflects the latest state-of-the art technology, focusing on innovation and creating an ecosystem that is expected to improve citizens’ quality of life. The use of digital technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, and various latest technology tools will serve as the city’s development and operational system. Technology development and innovation will play a significant role, not only in developing a smart city as one of the solutions to urban challenges but also in creating a new model of future digitally connected urban management that is economically feasible, socially desirable, and environmentally sustainable. For example, IKN will have autonomous and electric vehicles as one mode of public transportation, offering mobility-as-a-service to citizens. The objective is to have safer, more efficient urban mobility, thereby eliminating congestion and GHG emissions and providing mobility to people with disabilities and special needs. IKN development aims to produce a resilient and sustainable city by improving city services from transportation, energy, and water resources to waste disposal and health services. The establishment of the smart city of IKN can improve the city’s ability to use natural resources efficiently, make public transportation more attractive, and provide data to decision makers for the appropriate allocation of resources. Investments in green technology, safer materials, and technological advances for utilizing renewable energy resources, building urban water systems and sustainable public infrastructure, and producing environmentally friendly products will provide pathways through which technology will significantly contribute to sustainable IKN development. The smart city will contribute to the formation of a high-quality, healthy, and regenerative built environment with an overall positive impact on citizens’ lives. IKN is also expected to focus on innovation and entrepreneurial environments to foster growth and investment to boost economic performance, as well as to improve citizens’ quality of life. Regional development will be facilitated to represent the nation’s progress and to serve as a catalyst for building and spreading centers of productivity and economic activity. IKN Nusantara is open to everyone—investors, manufacturers, researchers, thinkers, and supporters of innovation—to develop city ecosystems that are green, inclusive, smart, resilient, and sustainable. It will be an inclusive global city for all.

Purpose – this study investigates alternative a small-scale social business model that potentially generate sustainable income for households at the base of the pyramid. A comparison of two low-cost housings that have a different geographical condition and local characteristics is examined. Research methodology – this research adopted two-stage approach to address the research objective. A pairwise comparison was employed to evaluate alternatives based on selected criteria for decision-making. In the second stage, the proposed business model was assessed by taking into account investment, processing cost, and revenue. Findings – the findings of this research suggest suitable business model that combine profit orientation and facilitates social mission in urban settings. The business model offers attractive financial feasibility from the investor viewpoint and simultaneously engages low-income households to improve their prosperity level leaving the base of the pyramid (BOP) status. Research limitations – this paper is not involving division of responsibility between stakeholders in low-cost housing and BOP sector. This study also not discussed how social entrepreneurs play a role in the social business model. There is a need to further investigate how the impact of social entrepreneurs on this model and engage collaboration with interest parties to engage community development. Practical implications – the findings recommend strategies that can be used by policy-makers and other related stakeholders to scale-up the business model, empower more low-income households, and create new job opportunities for urban poor. The findings of this research also indicate social business model that enables households at the BOP to earn sustainable income and release their current poverty status. Originality/Value – the research is one of the few studies that explored alternatives to social business models available for urban poor by taking into account project feasibility. No previous research has been attempted to consider both pairwise comparison and life cycle cost approach in the development of social business models. This research can be found useful for those with similar issues not only in emerging economies but also in developed countries.

Major global cities are faced with the increased concentration of urban areas and mounting complex problems caused by rapid urbanization and industrialization. Therefore, to have the quality of city life improved while ensuring our environment is sustained, those issues need to be handled by changing the way the urban spaces are managed. Urban development practices should be done in a sustainable way in which cities can adapt and integrate smart solutions to meet the demands of the citizens while keep protecting the environment. Smart city, with the extensive use of digital technology, has been deployed for urban planning, development, and management to help the city achieve its goals of improving the quality of life, creating a sustainable environment, and enhancing economic development. By having digital technologies play a significant role in all aspects of its urban life, the city can effectively address several emerging urban problems and develop an advanced smart city that considers citizens’ active engagement in designing solutions for urban management. Smart infrastructure, industry, energy, healthcare, and transportation using sensor networks, automated systems, smart grid, and further enabling service innovation through smart governance are amongst others of smart city’s characteristics. For example, a smart city can deploys autonomous vehicles as the backbone of a public transportation system, offering mobility-as-a-service to the citizen. As a result, on-demand and dynamic route of a driverless car, safer environment, more efficient urban mobility, eliminating congestion and GHG emissions, and providing mobility to people with disabilities and special needs. The technology for healthy building through automated digital technology can optimize building performance, enhance occupant experiences, and meet sustainability goals. Smart city increase citizen’s quality of life. Therefore, the assessment of smart cities is built on measuring the sustainability and livability of cities with the emphasis on the inclusion of technological and informational elements to meet the citizens’ needs, optimize existing infrastructure, and increase innovative business through the collaboration amongst city’s economic stakeholders.

The development of new cities requires comprehensive planning that can respond to the challenges of the pace of urbanization such as environmental sustainability, climate change, and socio-economic crisis. It goes without saying that new cities should be constructed for the urban future to meet the growing social and economic needs of populations. The development of new cities represents a tremendous opportunity to boost economic development and modernize infrastructure. Urban technology development and innovation play a significant role in creating a smart city as one of the solutions to urban challenges. A sustainable approach is also important to ensure the fulfillment of future needs through maintaining the ongoing viability of resources. Smart city development aims to produce a resilient and sustainable city by producing better city services, from improvements in transportation, energy, and water resources to waste disposal and health services. Smart cities can improve a city’s ability to use natural resources efficiently, make public transportation more attractive, and further provide data to planners and decision makers to allow them to allocate resources appropriately. In other words, the smart city concept contributes to the formation of a high-quality, healthy, and regenerative built environment that is modeled on a circular economy and has an overall positive impact on the environment. As in the construction of mega-projects, which are prone to experiencing cost overruns and delays in project development time, the creation of a new city requires careful preparation in terms of planning and project implementation. Well-prepared technical, financial, and good governance frameworks need to be in place before the construction of a new city can be carried out. Implementing accountable and prudent good governance in the development process is among the important factors in the construction of a mega-project. Science and technology development plays a significant role in achieving sustainable development by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of new and more long-lasting ways of building and living. Investments in green technology, more streamlined and targeted processes, safer materials, and improved performances and outcomes are some of the results of such development. Technological advances in utilizing renewable energy resources, building urban water systems and sustainable public infrastructure, and producing environmentally friendly materials and products are among the pathways along which technology will significantly contribute to sustainable new city development. Indonesia is planning to move its capital to a different island, from Jakarta to a new city named Nusantara in East Kalimantan. The new capital’s development will begin with the construction of major infrastructure, including the presidential palace and government buildings, and the construction of residential housing, social-commercial precincts, and basic facilities in the main area of the new capital. Public-private partnership, along with long-term modern infrastructure and anchor institutions, are the basic components needed for a successful new capital city. The new capital city is also expected to focus on innovation and entrepreneurial environments to foster growth and investment to boost economic performance as well as to improve citizens’ quality of life. Regional development will be facilitated to represent a nation’s progress and to serve as a catalyst for building and spreading centers of productivity and economic activity. An inclusive city for all.

Many global companies specializing in complex technological systems use forms of group decision making to select a combination of solutions from suppliers. This requires technical expertise and up-to-date awareness of what is available within and outside the company. The use of artificial intelligence seems like an obvious progression but is fraught with difficulties. As a step in this longer-term direction, this paper looks to a methodology that uses the idea of functionality to first list abstract requirements before finding potential solutions with appropriate performance characteristics. This paper re-examines a methodology called value engineering, which mixes measurable and immeasurable concepts in its foundational idea. This paper reasons and deduces a new way to conceive this foundational idea so that it can be modelled mathematically and provide a useful step toward a database ontology and schema that would suit artificial intelligence. It also provides an immediate benefit to value engineering practitioners in workshops.

The Group of Twenty (G20), comprised of 19 countries and the European Union, is an intergovernmental forum for addressing issues on global economic, financial stability, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development. The collective collaboration from industrialized nations and nations with emerging economies plays an important role in ensuring the achievement of inclusive economic development and sustainable development. Currently, the G20 Presidency of Indonesia focuses on three main agendas: (1) Global Health Architecture; (2) Sustainable Energy Transition; and (3) Digital Transformation. Indonesia highlights the importance of concrete and holistic actions among nations to stimulate prosperous economic growth and sustainable development across the globe. Continuing my previous editorial notes discussion, I will discuss these three G20 agendas.The first agenda has shown how the COVID-19 pandemic is negatively affecting global economic growth, slowing down business activities, reducing production, and increasing unemployment and income uncertainty. Less investment, job losses, and disrupted national and global trade and supply chains have caused many governments collaborate and take necessary actions to enable a robust global recovery. The responses to COVID-19 have also prompted a strong drive to reduce inequal access to, and the quality of, public education and health facilities supported by government policies to increase country’s resilience. These mitigating actions are required at the national and international levels. Furthermore, this drive will prompt stronger support for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through business incubators and start-up companies to ensure urban economic resilience. Thus, strengthening knowledge-sharing and collaboration among stakeholders in international contexts, such as the G20 forum, is needed to tackle the pandemic. Global coordination and cooperation are required to mitigate the spread of the pandemic and diminish its impact on economic and social stability. Moreover, this first agenda highlights the importance of strengthening the post-COVID-19 global health architecture, including the need for inclusive vaccine development and distribution and mobilization of global health financing.Regarding the second agenda, the energy system is experiencing rapid transitions that are triggered by the latest developments of science and technology, updated regulations, consumer preferences, and the growing global demand for affordable and clean energy. Yet, many countries face different energy challenges in their pursuit of a low-carbon economy. Utilization of renewable energy sources and energy system digitalization to create more intelligent and flexible energy systems is key to ensuring a smooth energy transition process. A shift towards decentralized energy systems will ensure that everyone can have stable and affordable energy. Mutual partnership to support climate action is required, recognizing the importance of a just transition to a low-carbon economy enabling a fair and just energy transition for many countries. The energy transition system will be efficient and effective if it provides proper energy policy support and financial incentives.For the third G20 agenda on digital transformation, we have seen how digital technologies have been used to improve projects, products, and service delivery in different industries and to add value. Digital technology is used to manage integrated product whole-life cycles and enhance efficient, reliable, and sustainable business operations. Furthermore, in cities, development is now more sustainable in terms of providing economic resource sharing, autonomous mobility systems, zero-emissions industrial products, recycling materials, and organic food in urban areas, to name a few. We are also using technology to tackle global challenges, including COVID-19 pandemic-related health improvement and virtual activities. The technologies should be created to support economic and social development goals, including economic, social, health, and education objectives, and environmental sustainability. Digital transformation policies are essential for creating ecosystems for digital growth strategies. The ecosystems should be enhanced by supportive policy design, adequate funding, and program implementation. The transformation policies must provide an adequate technology infrastructure and facilitate skills development.

Confidential documents in possession of government agencies are considered as assets that must be protected. Government agencies have started implementing cloud data storage systems to document data in a centralized network. However, this data storage system has been well-known as being threatened by data security, integrity, and data availability risks. On the other hand, blockchain technology, a decentralized, fast, secure, transparent, and recorded data storage system, is considered as the solution for mitigating these risks. Therefore, this study aims to identify the dominant risk factors of implementing the cloud computing storage system in government agencies potentially impacting its organizational performance and developing a risk-based data storage system that considers blockchain technology. This research used questionnaire surveys, case studies, and expert interviews to obtain its research objectives. The results demonstrated that six dominant risks included data theft and breaches, data corruption caused by virus attacks, limited storage space, data loss caused by system damage, data being accessed without particular access rights, and lack of guarantees from the system when a security threat occurred. A model for the blockchain-based cloud data storage system is proposed to address these risks and to improve the organizational performance of government agencies.

Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected all aspects of human life. The pandemic has become an issue of serious global concern in both developing and developed countries, with impacts including rapidly changing health and demographic conditions, threatened food security, declining quality of education at all levels, declining clean water access and availability, declining trade, economic, and industrial sectors, and a lack of efficient energy sources to secure communities.These challenges necessitate swift responses to provide alternative solutions for global transformation toward sustainable development and improved living conditions at the local and global levels. The active role of universities in addressing these challenges is significant, as they allow researchers to propose advanced and applied technologies, as well as create efficient processes and innovative products. Triggering change, universities are leading institutions in transforming policy into concrete action. In addition, the collaborative study and research among universities and research centers, experts, industry, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and policymakers fosters and strengthens their collective ability to provide a higher quality of life and a more sustainable society around the world. Research on how to raise sustainability awareness and enhance regional collaboration to create a more sustainable society is also an important issue. Societal transformation through the application of digital technology, nurturing economic development, controlling rapid urban population growth, and building more intelligent cities (e.g., intelligenttransportation systems) while considering environmental aspects are essential for future sustainable urban development. This sustainability awareness is crucial in preventing environmental destruction, enhancing social participation, and improving the economic impacts of reusing certain technologies.To address the above issues, the 17th International Conference on Quality in Research (QiR) was virtually held October 13–15, 2021, in conjunction with the 6th International Tropical Renewable Energy Conference (i-TREC) and the 2th CSID AUN-SCUD International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructure and Urban Development (CAIC-SIUD). The QiR and i-TREC conferences focus on resiliency and adaptability in a post-pandemic world, exploring technology for a greener environment. The theme of the AUN-SCUD conference was shaping resiliency and sustainable futures through digitalization, technologies, and added value in developing sustainable infrastructure and resilient smart cities. Furthermore, the conference highlighted the role of digital technology in transforming cities and fulfilling Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, as driven by the three-pronged principles of Industry 4.0, Nature 5.0, and Society 5.0

To achieve its vision of becoming a developed and prosperous economy in 2045, Indonesia focuses on expanding its regional development by developing its six economic corridors based on each corridor’s potential industries. Therefore, adequate infrastructure that improves regional connectivity and drives economic activities should be developed to help accelerate the industrial development in each economic corridor. This paper examines the financial feasibility of investing in industrial supporting infrastructure projects and develops financing and institutional schemes for the implementation of public-private partnerships to enhance the attractiveness of the projects for the private sector. The results of life-cycle cost analysis and system dynamics simulation show that with a required initial cost of USD 254 million and operation and maintenance (OM) cost of USD 224.29 million, the development is deemed financially feasible, generating a revenue of USD 872.38 million for a 40-year concession period. From the 45 cost-sharing scenarios investigated, the optimal internal rate of return (IRR) value of 15.62% was obtained, with the private sector covering 64.14% of the initial cost and 73.61% of the OM cost, as well as gaining 76.62% of the total revenue.

The COVID-19 pandemic is still affecting many aspects of human life. Many efforts have been carried out by many parties in the fields of health and demographics, food security, secure and clean water, green and efficient energy sources, climate change, quality education and secure communities. The response of many scientists and technologists during this pandemic have successfully facilitated progress in many areas, such as effective vaccines to prevent further spreading of the pandemic and medical devices needed by many patients affected by COVID-19. In another domain, the policy responses of governments to the COVID-19 crisis have demonstrated that many major economies are capable of unprecedented and drastic action when it is called for. Responding to these many challenges requires engagement, specifically in the research domain, at any level, locally and globally. The 17th International Conference on Quality in Research (QiR) 2021 was held to address these issues. Due to the global pandemic situation, the QiR 2021 was held online. Presenting the theme of “Resilience and Adaptability for a Post-Pandemic World: Exploring Technology for Our Green Environment,” the QiR 2021 brought many research papers discussing the role of the science and technology during the pandemic. In this edition of the International Journal of Technology, we are proudly presenting 20 articles selected from the QiR 2021 and make them available to readers worldwide by highlighting research and development in various fields during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Land value capture (LVC) has shown great potential in financing urban rail system infrastructure, such as transit-oriented development (TOD). However, the government of Indonesia has not tapped this potential in order to close its infrastructure financing gap. This study aims to determine the incremental rate captured through a tax-based LVC mechanism and develop a property market-based mobile application to implement the scheme, with six TOD areas in seven stations of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Jakarta Phase I project as the case study. This research used literature and benchmarking studies to collect data, followed by the calculations of the transport premium, total value increment, and value capture rate for the betterment tax implementation to obtain its research objectives. The results showed that a 5.82% value capture rate could recover 53.8% of the government's initial investment for the project. Based on that figure, betterment tax rates of 0.3% and 0.1% are proposed for residential properties within the radius of 100-400 m and 400-700 m from transit stations, respectively. Meanwhile, 2.5% and 2.4% tax rates are proposed for commercial properties within the radius of 0-300 m and 300-600 m, respectively. Furthermore, the activity workflow for a mobile application in which the government can issue tax invoices and taxpayers can make payments is also proposed to facilitate the implementation of LVC as an alternative source to finance TOD projects.

Innovative digital technologies—supported by humanistic societies—are required to balance our economic advancement and environmental regeneration. The well-being of our future will depend on how well we can produce technologies that can improve our climate, health, social equity, and stability. New technologies have been used to enhance productivity, the quality of education, and the quality of life, and to promote healthy lives for everyone. For example, we are using technology to tackle global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic-related health improvements and virtual activities. Furthermore, cities today are more sustainable in terms of providing economic resource sharing, autonomous mobility systems, zero emission industrial products, facilities for recycling waste, and organic food to the urban population to name a few. Digital technology solutions can be used to integrate circular economy principles from the design stage to the post-construction/manufacturing stage. Furthermore, the processes of innovation diffusion reshape economic systems and cause structural changes in different economic sectors. These innovations have become the basis of the new digital infrastructure of society. The technological revolution of recent years has made it possible to transform entire systems of production, management, and governance into more effective and efficient systems in connected societies. In this special edition, 25 papers were selected from the 3rd International Scientific Conference on Innovations in Digital Economy SPBPU-IDE 2021, which discussed theory and application regarding digital economy and technology development. The conference SPBPU IDE-2021 was organized by Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) and Universitas Indonesia and brought together experts from the academia and industry to enhance digital transformation of economic systems.

For the first time, Indonesia will host the G20 Presidency in 2022 with the theme of "Recover Together, Recover Stronger", which reflects the spirit of collective global recovery needed after the world has struggled to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic since early 2020. The theme sets out the vision that no one is left behind and, with this collective recovery process, G20 must be present inclusively to promote and act on the spirit of a sustainable global recovery. As a result of the pandemic, many governments require prompt actions in supporting their country’s health and economic resilience, including conducting vaccination, protecting workers and businesses, and empowering the vulnerable through adequate social protection. Thus, an international commitment to ensure adequate financing to contain the pandemic and protect people, exchange clinical data, and share medical supplies and vaccines is important for strengthening global health systems. On the other hand, global solidarity on supporting economic resilience is conducted through enhancing fiscal and debt management capacity, fair investment support, and social protection to overcome the pandemic crisis.Future Global AgendaGlobal cooperation is required in order to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, to enhance an inclusive and sustainable economy recovery, and to protect and regenerate nature.I would like to highlight some recommendations for G20 agenda discussion, particularly in the role of science and technology in sustainable development and a need to strengthen international collaboration and cooperation. Science and technology development plays a significant role in achieving sustainable development by improving the efficiency and efficacy of new and more sustainable approaches to development. Investments in green technology, efficient and effective processes, safer materials, and improved performances and outcomes are some results of such development. Technological development in utilizing renewable energy resources, building urban water systems and sustainable public infrastructure, increasing food production, and producing environmentally friendly materials and products are among the pathways by which technology will significantly contribute to achieving sustainable development targets.Science and technology will assist us in tackling the pandemic by producing a suitable strategy for monitoring, treating, mitigating, and recovering from its impact. To anticipate such impact, a comprehensive plan is required for increasing the capacity for disruptions and surges in demand, especially for basic needs such as health and medicine, food, water, and energy. The COVID-19 pandemic suggests the need to rethink the role of resilience knowledge and practices in order to ensure the performance of the built environment to meet the health-related criteria. Advancements in the science and technology revolution need to play a significant role in shaping and regenerating nature (Nature 5.0). The environmental changes have altered the evolution of life, and with the advancement of technology, changes have fed back to alter the environment. Thus, there is a need to utilize the industrial revolution 4.0 and society 5.0 towards nature 5.0.For international collaboration and cooperation, I would like to highlight a need to carefully manage the social, environmental, and economic dimensions of this crisis in order to enhance societies' and countries' resilience.The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established actions to end poverty, improve health and education, and promote prosperity and well-being by considering environmental sustainability, which requires value changes, institutional changes, and cultural adjustment.Managing cross-sectoral interests with coordinated aims, strategies, and instruments is essential to overcoming complex problems and developing more comprehensive solutions in accelerating SDG programs. Creating a more integrative manner to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of public policies is key for optimizing the benefits and impact of development outcomes. This policy integration and coordination is crucial to enhancing sustainable development programs, which balance economic advancement, sustainable ecosystem management, and environmental protection; therefore, it requires an inter-sector approach and coordinating mechanisms for all programs and projects.Responses to COVID-19 have also prompted a strong drive to reduce inequal access to, and the quality of, public education and health facilities supported by government policies in order to increase the country’s resilience. Furthermore, this drive will prompt stronger support for small and medium enterprises through business incubators and start-up companies to ensure urban economic resilience. The future development is a model with an emphasis on innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability. The world development agenda can be boosted by strengthened knowledge-sharing and collaboration amongst stakeholders in international contexts.Therefore, G20 members need to commit to supporting the science and technology process and expanding access across countries members. G20 needs to strengthen cooperation in order to overcome the pandemic and enhance fiscal and debt management capacity towards science and technology development.

Technology development is an important means of improving economic and socio-cultural conditions. It transforms our knowledge into an artifact that can be used to modernize our civilization and improve our quality of life. Moreover, companies must be innovative to survive and remain competitive; thus, they must exploit their capabilities through the development and use of innovation programs and techniques.Technological innovation starts with idea generation, and the relationship between innovation management and idea generation often requires a multi-disciplinary team to develop a shared understanding of the relationships between thoughts and reality. If we could improve this, then we could enhance our ability to create value. Technology DesignThe design process is a series of steps to translate functional requirements into design specifications that say what an artifact should be able to do. In technological design, modeling is an important step in artifact creation and innovation.Here, I would like to stress that the difference between the function and process of an artifact is a point where the concepts we use must be precise. The implied functional and process theories in artifact development are different in the sense that the first is conceptual and the second is phenomenological in the real world. We must determine an artifact’s function in terms of intentionality and how that can be achieved through causal relationships.In philosophical literature, the concept of function can be divided into two main understandings: teleological and etiological theories. The teleological theory of function explains the purpose and requisite actions of an object by citing expectations of collective intentionality. For example, we all argue a hammer should be used to hit nails. The starting point is to differentiate the purpose of the artifact from the way it is used by articulating the designer’s intentionality. Thus, we can explain why and when an artifact (e.g., a chair) can be used in relation to its function; for example, whether a chair can be used to support the weight of a seated person, to hold the door open, as a step-up tool, and so on. An etiological function in a technological artifact explains a causal relationship between why the artifact exists according to an historical account of its adapted/ evolved form. Therefore, we can see the designers’ intentionality is constrained within etiological interactions. On the other hand, a process can be a naturally occurring or a designed sequence of operations or events, possibly needing time, space, expertise, or some other resource to produce some phenomenological outcome. A process may be identified by changes it creates in the properties of one or more objects under its influence. The people queuing at a checkout in a bank, a bus stopping at a station, and the operation of an engine are all examples of processes. A need arises in complex design to untangle the design team’s intentionality and why they believe various things should become a process-driven solution. Innovation and Added Value Central to a richer understanding is that essential functions must be performed to achieve selected outcomes. Functions are performed by processes; for instance, a car engine’s function of “transmit torque” is performed by the processes of a particular engine type. By differentiating between different idea types, we can consider alternative kinds of engines, such as a petrol engine, a diesel engine, or a hybrid engine, all of which perform the same function of “transmit torque.” “New” ideas can arise in two ways: first, by searching for additional functions that differentiate products and services, and second, by improving processes currently in use to perform a desired function or by removing unwanted by-products such as car pollution. Processes that make no essential contribution can be removed because they have no value. Value results from the efficient and effective working of a system. The interconnected relations between “function,” “process,” and “outcome” are designed to achieve the intended “purpose.” Every function provides an essential contribution to a system, and all processes should have at least one function that justifies their inclusion. The value of a process can be measured in terms of how well it performs essential functions and achieves the desired purpose. A television is a series of processes that perform functions such as displaying moving pictures with sound. Having this function allows us to innovate further and produce hand-held mobile televisions, video-enabled mobile phones, etc. The transformation of function-directed causal relations into manufacturing makes it possible to bridge the gap between physical structure and intentional function in a technological design. Identifying essentiality in relation to functions, processes, purposes, and outcomes enables us to articulate solutions. Identifying functions enables us to propose alternative ways or processes to perform those functions in the act of idea generation. An “extended function” sets a new context (purpose and goal) for a system. The ability to consider alternative ways or processes that could perform the same essential work with added benefits stimulates inquiry and further exploration of the origin of ideas. This is what I argue is the source of innovation and added value of artifact development.

Building on my previous editorial notes on sustainable development themes, I would like to expand our discussion on how the concept of cross-sectoral coordination can be a booster for the sustainable development agenda. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established actions to end poverty, improve health and education, and promote prosperity and well-being by considering environmental sustainability, which requires value changes, institutional changes, and cultural adjustment. Managing cross-sectoral interests with coordinated aims, strategies, and instruments is essential to overcome complex problems and develop more comprehensive solutions in accelerating SDG programs. Creating a more integrative manner to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of public policies are key concepts for optimizing the benefits and impact of development outcomes. This policy integration and coordination is crucial to enhancing sustainable development programs, which balance economic advancement, sustainable ecosystem management, and environmental protection; therefore, it requires an inter-sector approach and coordinating mechanisms for all programs and projects. In fact, many complex development agendas often require the coordination and integration of cross-sectoral policies to produce better program outcomes. Policies that cross sectors can be challenging to implement since they require coordination and may create conflict because of the different interests of sectoral actors. Yet, the collaboration of actors in different sectors may stimulate processes of policy and organizational learning, leading to better policy design and more efficient implementation. In terms of producing optimum benefits of project or program development, interrelationships among sectors is important. The quality of a project or program outcome is a result of the quality of the sectoral internal properties that will be used to evaluate value for money (i.e., worth perceived by stakeholders). For example, the difference between a sustainable and a traditional highway project is to be found through the relationship between the co-creation of the economic benefits output and the quality of secondary properties such as urban, industrial, or tourism development, connections to other transportation infrastructure modes (e.g., airport, seaport), and so on. Each sector’s policy is also the result of various influences such as productivity, job creation, profits, and the environment. These influential factors are affected by relationships to other moderating variables such as financial constraints, poor project management, and a lack of commitment. As such, we can set about searching for advantages and better direct our new project or product development process if we can anticipate which aspects of design are more attractive to stakeholders—their perceived worth. Integrating benefits resulting from cross-sector coordination will boost project or program performance. Therefore, comprehensive planning for infrastructure development requires cross-sectoral coordination, which means that all sector-specific actor (from the ministries of transportation, public works, tourism, agriculture, industry, and the environment, to the private sector) preferences and interests must be coordinated and integrated. This coordination and integration will then be evaluated based on the project’s success in optimizing it’s benefits and usage. Furthermore, an underground infrastructure tunnel that will be used to overcome congestion, reduce flooding, and increase transportation accessibility in one public railway and stormwater infrastructure (PRASTI) tunnel will arguably create more benefits in terms of project efficiency and effectiveness, have greater economic impacts, and enhance the feasibility of social infrastructure projects such as flood control, compared to separate development of each project. Science and technology development plays a significant role in achieving sustainable development by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of new and more sustainable approaches to development. Investments in green technology, efficient and effective processes, safer materials, and improved performances and outcomes are some results of such development. Technological development in utilizing renewable energy resources, building urban water systems and sustainable public infrastructure, increasing food production, and producing environmentally friendly materials and products are among the pathways by which technology will significantly contribute to achieving sustainable development targets.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant negative impacts on most countries’ resilience having unleashed major health, social, and economic shocks. The trauma varies across countries and industries, and many governments have announced fiscal packages to fund substantially increased public health measures, social assistance for vulnerable people, and business activities in response to the consequent fall in incomes, loss of job opportunities, and price fluctuations. Businesses need to adapt their activities to a new post-COVID normal in ways that support a rapid recovery, and market intervention is required to create a rebound effect to regain consumer confidence. In particular, the crisis has created widespread need to adopt digital solutions. Digital technologies have already played vital roles in maintaining a functioning society by enabling remote working, facilitating contactless business transactions, and automating corporate processes during the pandemic. They are helping to create the “new normal” by delivering innovative ways for almost any activity to be conducted with even more productive outcomes. These technologies can be used as a driver for economic development during the crisis and in the post-pandemic recovery to enhance national resilience; they are crucial for ensuring social and commercial continuity in these uncertain times. The Roles of Stakeholders The pandemic has forced business models to adapt, and this could have a beneficial impact on economic recovery. For example, many businesses have been required to adopt digital strategies in response to changing customer behavior, and, as a result, massive online platforms to digitalize and realign business operations using artificial intelligence have been created. Consequently, businesses can improve operational efficiency using these autonomous technologies, and more resilient production systems and supply chains can be created through this digital transformation of existing industries. Emerging technologies that support automation and digitization can be used to create smart cities that will transform business and public services provision. Therefore, collaboration and coordination between technological, financial, and policy developments are now required to build digital competency and infrastructure for the post-pandemic economic recovery. Optimizing the benefits of technology will thus require solid government policy, private sector investment, and appropriate human resource allocation. Governments, in particular, need to take effective strategic decisions about transforming health, economic, and social sectors by adopting these innovative technologies. On the other hand, digital technologies might have the potential impact to widen socio-economic inequality, for example by reducing human involvement in conventional jobs and requiring greater education and skill in the future workforce. Governments are therefore also required to continue any policies that support the digital transformation and enhancement of relevant skills in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to cope with the ongoing situation and to deliver full support to the creative industries ecosystem through digitalization such as in digital literacy, access, and infrastructure. Digital technologies will enable resilience in SMEs by giving them practical online tools and business platforms from internal production through to connecting with the market and their customers. Such advancements will be a major push in speeding up the post-pandemic recovery when leveraging knowledge, technology, and data in relation to digital integration will be important. Digital technologies will improve our economic and social resilience.

Global aviation has experienced many crises in the past, each of which has had a significant impact on air traffic. After each fall, the industry recovers and returns stronger, exceeding the previous volume of traffic; however, the COVID-19 pandemic presents a new level of concern, with unknown detrimental effects. The airlines, airports and all other partners involved have greatly suffered. The airport system has been hit by flight closures in many markets, including Indonesia. Airport management and operating companies, concessionaires, terminal tenants, ground handling and catering companies, and the various partners involved are under stress and financial constraints due to the pandemic. In response to this, the flight plan for the “new normal” takes into account the new flight demand and airline market structure scenarios. By using the qualitative approach, this research tries to construct recovery models and strategies for the Indonesian aviation industry post-pandemic. Results show several scenarios, classified as optimistic, moderate, and conservative for the recovery of the industry. This requires the construction of a business model through the V-shape, U-shape, Prolonged U-shape, L-shape and W-shape. In striving for the recovery of the aviation industry, three strategies are needed: survival, growth and sustainability.

The diffusion of innovations during the fourth industrial revolution reshaped economic systems and caused structural changes in different economic sectors. These innovations have become the basis of the new digital infrastructure of society. Digital technology is used to manage integrated product whole-life cycles and enhance efficient, reliable, and sustainable business operations. Intelligent production processes and supply chains can be used to optimize entire end-to-end workflows and create business competitive advantages. Artificial intelligence, internet of things, machine learning, blockchain, big data and other digital technologies have been used to create business agility and resilience and further transform societal behavior.Digitalization creates new ways for companies to create business added value. Modernizing business enterprises by combining digital technologies, physical resources, and the creativity of individuals, is an essential step in innovative business transformation that may constitute a competitive advantage. Companies need to transform their business processes and enhance the satisfaction of their customers by using digital technologies that connect people, systems, and products or render their services more effective and efficient. Digital technologies create new ways for companies to integrate customers’ requirements into product development or service delivery across entire process chains. Digital technologies are becoming increasingly important due to strong market competition. Many studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between business growth and the use of digital technologies to create innovative business models. Technological innovations create new products, processes, and services that generate more added value for companies.

Utilizing Industry 4.0 technologies to create a sustainable energy industry enables a decentralized energy system in which energy can be effectively produced, managed, and controlled from local resources. Furthermore, the technologies also enable data capture and analysis to improve energy performance. As digital energy is being developed and increasingly decentralized, renewable energy is now a more attractive option for creating sustainable development. The technologies are capable of integrating different energy sources to respond to an increasingly demanding and distributed market by providing sustainable and efficient resources. The technologies of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) are already being used in the energy sector to transform the business processes of the industry. Energy management systems based on emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), big data, blockchain, and machine learning (ML), have been used to support industry players in analyzing the energy market, improving the supply–demand chain, real-time monitoring, and generating more options for using alternative sources of energy, such as storage devices, fuel cells, and intelligent energy performance. The optimization of the energy industry can be achieved through energy production and distribution efficiency by the digitization of manufacturing processes and service delivery. Optimized energy pricing and capital resources, predictive operation and maintenance plans, efficiency of energy usage, and further maximizing asset lifetime and usage are among the solutions produced from the technologies of Industry 4.0. These technologies are set to transform the energy industry to being more sustainable. This transformation has happened through the provision of integrated information in both planning and operational processes. Industry 4.0 technologies contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of energy product life-cycles and value chains, therefore impacting business strategies to produce better energy management systems. Smart energy ecosystems that employ cyber-physical systems enhance all production and consumption energy chain processes. Smart applications in energy production and usage consumption processes can be used efficiently in managing and optimizing energy, such as by storing energy on demand or reducing consumption. Utilizing Industry 4.0 technologies to create a sustainable energy industry enables a decentralized energy system in which energy can be effectively produced, managed, and controlled from local resources. Furthermore, the technologies also enable data capture and analysis to improve energy performance. As digital energy is being developed and increasingly decentralized, renewable energy is now a more attractive option for creating sustainable development. The technologies are capable of integrating different energy sources to respond to an increasingly demanding and distributed market by providing sustainable and efficient resources.

Transit-oriented development (TOD) areas are being constructed in Indonesia, particularly in Jakarta, since the issuance of the Regulation of Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning in 2017. This development has led to an increasing supply of apartment units in Jakarta, but this is contrary to the declining residential property sales, which was at the worst level in 2019. Therefore, this study aims to determine the factors that influence consumer preferences in buying residential properties in the TOD area, which serves as the basis for planning residential apartments in the next TOD area development. This study adopts both quantitative and qualitative methods through desk study and benchmarking, as well as questionnaire surveys and fuzzy logic to achieve its objectives. The results obtained here showed that the order of priority factors for consumers intending to buy property is financial, property type, and demographic factors. Consumers intending to rent property prioritize property type, financial, and demographic factors. Moreover, the higher one’s income means the lower one’s interest in living in the TOD area. Another objective of this research is to harness many mobile internet users in Indonesia, reaching 53% of the total population, to develop a mobile phone-based application that serves as the platform for sale and purchase transactions of residential properties in the TOD area. The proposed application has six features: My Preferences, which provides recommendations for suitable apartment units according to user preferences; Search My Apartment; My Store; Mortgage Simulation; Payment Gateway; and Profile Settings.

The current need to reduce dependence on non-renewable fuels has contributed a lot to the rapid growth of renewable energy systems and electric vehicles. One of the exciting sources of energy storage is the battery. The development of lithium-based batteries is an exciting trend and is continuously being developed for long life and high-level battery quality. Batteries are considered a primary energy storage source. They are essential materials for many applications such as vehicles and electronic devices, including laptops, mobile phones, watches, etc. With the increasing demand and use of batteries globally for many applications, much research on advanced batteries has been interested in improving their performance, significantly to extend their safety and prolong their service life. The type of batteries and some external parameters, including voltage, current, and temperature, are essential to further exploration. Research on how to minimize the pollution from after-used batteries is also needed since electronic waste cannot be disposed into nature without prior treatment. This is important in preventing environmental destruction and supporting environmental sustainability, in addition to the economic impact of reusing certain technologies. Furthermore, with the advancement of civilization and technology, everything related to engineering and sciences can be developed according to its functions and humans' need. To address the above issues, the 5th International Tropical Renewable Energy Conference (i-TREC) was held on October 29-30, 2020, via online conference. The i-TREC is an annual event organized by the Tropical Research Energy Center, Faculty of Engineering Universitas Indonesia (TREC FTUI). The theme of this conference is the role of renewable and clean energy in supporting sustainable development goals. From the papers presented there, 18 paper have been selected for publication in IJTech. These 18 papers are summarized below.

Building on my 2019 editorial note from last year on managing nature 5.0 in the industrial revolution 4.0 and society 5.0 era, I would like to expand our discussion on how the concept can be a booster for the circular economy. Innovative digital technology supported by a human-centered society is required to balance our economic advancement and environmental regeneration. Nature has provided us with useful resources that speed up the growth of our industries and economies and their shift toward sustainability. The well-being of our future will be dependent on how we can produce technology that can govern our climate, health, social equity, and stability. The circular economy is defined as a redesign of industrial systems to make them restorative and regenerative. The system aims to eliminate waste and continually use resources by reusing end life-cycle products and product waste, and recycling them for other uses or as regenerative resources for nature. As such, the circular economy becomes a systemic economic approach that contributes to the environment and yields society-wide benefits.Managing Innovation in the Circular Economy Innovation thus plays an important role in the development and implementation of the circular economy in which all production and consumption chains must be effective and efficient. Digital technologies increase production and resource efficiency in order to contribute to business performance improvement. The digital technologies, such as big data, artificial intelligence, internet of things, 3D printing, and machine learning, could be used to improve project, product, and service delivery in different industries and to create value added. The technologies should be created to support economic and social development goals, such as economic, social, health, education and environmental sustainability. The technologies have been used to enhance productivity, increase the quality of education, enhance quality of life, and promote healthy lives for everyone. For example, we are using technology to tackle global challenges, such as for Covid-19 pandemic-related health improvement and virtual activities. Furthermore, the cities are more sustainable in terms of providing economic resource sharing, autonomous mobility systems, zero-emission industrial products, recycling materials and food organic urban to name few. Digital technology solutions can be used to integrate circular economy principles from the design stage to the post construction/manufacturing stage. The technological revolution has made it possible to transform entire systems of production, management, and governance into more effective and efficient systems in connected societies. With current advances, digital technology has the power to support the circular economy by increasing productivity, efficient and effective resource usage, and the digital ecosystem.The creation of new technologies that foster research and stimulate innovation is thus required. These processes can be boosted by strengthened knowledge sharing and collaboration among stakeholders in both national and international contexts. The plans and execution actions to achieve the circular economy require strong collaboration from various stakeholders. Governments need to produce robust policy and legal frameworks for implementing the economic system by providing incentives as well as mitigating barriers, business industries need to produce added value via eco-friendly products and services, and society requires positive behaviors in terms of utilizing recycling products and waste reduction. Intensive collaboration in private and public partnerships will accelerate appropriate and sustainable technology development, scale-up, and transfer in order to generate more social benefits and reduce environmental impacts alongside economic returns.

The purpose of this work is to develop a methodology to assess and monitor cluster structures. The authors’ proposed method assesses the level of cluster structure development by considering cluster transformation analysis in the information and communication sectors of the regional economy, prerequisites for cluster formation, and the current level of digital cluster development in the region. To evaluate the prerequisites of digital economy cluster formation, an integral indicator is calculated and a multi-parameter approach is used to evaluate cluster effectiveness. The integral indicator includes 17 values calculated using the scorecard evaluation method. To make conclusions about the stages of IT cluster development, the authors provide the scale used to interpret integral indicator values. This scale classifies cluster development using four levels: beginner, elementary, intermediate, and advanced. A comparative analysis of IT cluster development in the Kaluga and Bryansk regions of the Russia reveals that IT clusters in Kaluga are at an advanced level of development due to its highly developed infrastructure and work flow organization, while IT clusters in Bryansk are at the beginner stage. This shows that Kaluga has a more effective industrial policy for clusters. The proposed methodology allows researchers to compare clusters from different regions and monitor their development.

Abstract Urban transport investments have contributed to the exponential increase of value from land and properties around the built infrastructure. Although literature had shown evidence of value uplift from the residential property due to transit development, little is known about the impact on commercial property values. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of rail transit proximity to the commercial property market by taking into account the pre-operation of the LRT project in Jakarta, Indonesia. This study utilizes a big data approach to accelerate research data processing by employing data mining method, as well as geographical information system (GIS) and hedonic price modeling (HPM) to investigate the property prices to formulate empirical evidence for the research. The results show opposite evidence compared to previous studies which argued that accessibility may contribute to the property price when closer to the transit station. The findings indicate that proximity to rail transit has an insignificant impact on the commercial property price compared to other variables such as building size, number of rooms, location, and hospitals. A comparison of the findings between this research with other studies was discussed and recommendation for further research development was proposed.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 to be a world health emergency in early 2020. Many governments quickly responded by strategizing their policies to support healthcare facilities, economic sectors, and social safety nets during the pandemic. Those various essential policies and programs must continue to be executed even after the pandemic or in the ‘new normal’ situation. Improved testing capacity and contact tracing is required both when confirmed cases of COVID-19 are detected and to mitigate new clusters. The governments need to increase the number of health facilities and implement strict health protocols, such as handwashing, physical distancing, using face masks, and staying physically and mentally healthy. To define effective government interventions, it is necessary to gather data on hazards, vulnerability, and healthcare capacity in responding to COVID-19. The pandemic is negatively affecting global economic growth, slowing down business activities, reducing production, and increasing unemployment and income uncertainty. As the virus continues to spread, restrictions on mobility are curtailing economic activities, which has created an economic shock that is prompting a global recession. Less investment, job losses, and disrupted national and global trade and supply chains have caused many governments to take necessary actions and to collaborate to enable a robust global recovery. Global coordination and cooperation are required to mitigate the spread of the pandemic and its impact on economic and social stability. At the same time, clear and accurate information is needed to maintain public social stability; hoaxes and disinformation can cause public panic and disrupt the process of recovery. All countries dealing with the pandemic have been refocusing their government funds and programs to tackle COVID-19. We are all hoping that a global economic recovery will start in the third quarter of 2020. Building Resilience and Adapting to Change Attempting to revive the economy, many governments begin transitioning to implement the ‘new normal’ during the pandemic. While transitioning to jumpstart industrial sectors, the new normal requires solidarity and self-awareness among the general public to mitigate the spread of the virus. Social cooperation is essential to building resilient health systems, and society’s discipline in carrying out health protocol for COVID-19 during daily activities is key to suppressing transmission of the virus. Following this protocol creates a culture of a healthier lifestyle.Governments are attempting to reopen businesses by supporting various policies, including the relaxation of taxes, providing bank loans, and increasing financial assistance and incentives to stimulate economic productivity and growth. Companies need to strategize their operational activities to survive and form contingency plans to recover their business by utilizing digital media, sharing cost burden and business operation if necessary. While there is no vaccine, product and service transactions remain slightly different from before. Businesses should expand their product or services offerings by virtual options and manage remote work using digital platforms. In the new normal, a need for best practices for a cashless society, managing public spaces for social distancing, and protecting population health, such as health testing and digital contact tracing, may become increasingly vital. The use of technology and automation will play a significant role in increasing productivity.Responses to COVID-19 have also prompted a strong drive to reduce inequal access to and the quality of public education and health facilities supported by government policies to increase the country’s resilience. Furthermore, this drive will prompt stronger support for small and medium enterprises through business incubators and start-up companies to ensure urban economic resilience.What we will see in the future is a development model with an emphasis on innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability.

The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 is attacking societies in all regions. The speed and scale of the outbreak have been accelerating fatalities and causing social and economic disruption. We need coordinated and comprehensive actions on the national and international level in creating a shared responsibility and human solidarity to suppress the spread of the virus, empower resilience in society, and address the virus’ socio-economic impact. Increasing the healthcare capacity for testing and tracing, implementing quarantine and physical distancing measures, restricting movement, and prioritizing the most vulnerable groups – the elderly and/or chronically sick patients – should be treated as ways to minimize the spread and impact of the virus. Furthermore, the social and economic dimensions of this crisis must be managed to enhance the resilience of societies and countries. There have been catastrophic losses due to this pandemic, leading to fatalities and bringing instability to many social and economic urban areas. The approaches to tackling this virus must be well-established. Making society safe in this pandemic is everybody’s business. Governments, the private sector, academics, and professionals, as well as every citizen, need to be engaged and play their role in building a resilient society in terms of health, economic, and social resilience. Citizen empowerment is crucial in mitigating the impacts of the pandemic, including the ability to adapt to shock, panic, and stress and to quickly respond to an unstable environment.

This paper links Value Management to macro-economics to explore transformational innovation. It borrows from economics and the relationship between technological progress and rising living standards for citizens. Central to this is seeing 'technology' in a wider sense than devices. What makes this paper different is it attempts to link Government spending on capital projects directly to economic growth in an economy. Whilst macroeconomists use historic data, this paper applies those theories to the conceptual stages of capital-projects to become part of a Government's investment appraisal process. As such, this paper outlines a 'how to' approach that will help Governments prefer Foreign Investments that lead to long-term economic growth. The hope is that this paper will stimulate other researchers to replicate the methodology and in so doing open a new direction for innovation methodologies such as Value Engineering and Value Management that link capital projects to growth in GDP.

Many industrial sectors are in the middle of a digital transformation that has emerged from the advancement of information and data technology, enhancing the use of computers and automation with smart and autonomous systems powered by data and machine learning. This revolution has been broadly adopted in industry by initiating the use of digital technologies, sensor systems, intelligent machines, and smart material in its processes.Some examples of industrial innovation are the invention of artificial intelligence (AI), the deployment of the Internet of Things (IoT)/Internet of Services (IoS), 3D printing/additive manufacturing, machine learning, and the use of Big Data. These have enables the digitization, automation, or integration of service and product value chains. Implementing digitization and automation is believed to help construction transform into a technology-driven industry and keep pace with other industries.

Value engineering (VE) plays a significant role in improving project competitiveness and propose an alternative solution to create added value for a project. Despite well-adopted in various countries worldwide, VE development shows stagnant progress in Indonesia. This can be seen by number of project and publications involving VE in Indonesia. In fact, academics and researchers argued the concept will highly contribute to advocate the benefits of VE into the public and private project practice. The research aims to investigate publications affiliated with Indonesian institutions and recommend strategies for VE implementation in the country. This paper uses a systematic review by taking into account the database library for extraction. The result shows that academics and researcher from Indonesian institutions regularly publish their work in VE study. However, the number of publication in refereed journals is much less compared papers in proceedings. The findings suggest some strategies to increase the publication and how to be involved in project development in Indonesia.

Infrastructure development plays a crucial role in accelerating the sustainable economic growth and development of a country. The increased provision of public infrastructure can help raise the GDP growth level by lowering production costs, enlarging markets, raising total factor productivity,and facilitating economic activities. Furthermore, infrastructure helps improve the living standards of the people by providing jobs and building the local suppliers' and developers’ capabilities, which contribute to reducing poverty and improving development outcomes.On the other hand, infrastructure is also crucial and lies at the core of efforts to achieve sustainable development. It encompasses many aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as health, education, access to energy, as well as clean water and sanitation. The infrastructure improvement is implied in most of the targets of SDGs. The importance of infrastructure must take the sustainable development dimension into account; hence greater efficiencies can be obtained to achieve SDGs successfully.Despite its potential benefits, infrastructure development that is poorly planned, implemented, or operated brings negative consequences for the society, which is escalated by an overrun budget and ineffective usage. Therefore, an infrastructure system must be developed to meet sustainability needs. Sustainability in infrastructure can be comprehended as how the attributes of the practices, products, services, and resources used in the infrastructure development can contribute to the continuation of ecosystem components and functions for generations in the future. Infrastructure projects must deliver better value by going hand-in-hand with sustainability, projecting its benefits and costs towards both the short-term goals and long-term implications.In order to be aligned with the dimension of sustainability, infrastructure needs to consider the economic, social, and environmental aspects. In terms of the economic aspect, infrastructure development should contribute to overall growth by supporting inclusivity, boosting productivity, and delivering accessible and affordable services. In terms of the social aspect, infrastructure is supposed to improve livelihoods, enhance human well-being, and remove poverty in all forms. Lastly, in terms of environmental aspects, the development of infrastructure should preserve the natural environment, ecosystems, and the biodiversity within by supporting the use of high-energy efficiency standards and promoting the resource-efficient approach contributing to reducing overall carbon emissions during its lifecycle.As sustainable infrastructure becomes a cornerstone to achieving the SDGs; therefore, the long-term vision for developing a national infrastructure system informed by SDGs should be ensured. We argue that these visions can be delivered by establishing adaptable plans that include implementing low-carbon solutions and resource-efficient, ecologically based, and energy-efficient technologies.

Digitalization has proven to be important in shaping cities towards more effective and efficient in terms of planning, management, and development. Digitalization that is taking place extensively right now has revolutionized the business ecosystem and changed the value chain process in many industries. It offers various enthralling opportunities yielded by the applications of technologies and intelligent systems to provide smart solutions to urban challenges. The effect of digitalization encouraged innovation by taking into account a physical-digital collaboration among related parties within the urban context and beyond. In a broader context, digital technologies have also played a significant role in accelerating access to more data and knowledge. It further fosters the accountability of institutions, stimulates the efficiency of science, and promotes more innovation opportunities in many sectors. Digital technologies supported by data are used in the development of smart cities to solve problems and make better decisions to achieve a higher urban quality of life. A smart city is an integrated system of six components, which consist of smart people, smart living, smart mobility, smart environment, smart economy, and smart governance; the smartness of which can be enhanced by the utilization of several crucial technologies including information and communication technology (ICT), Internet of Things (IoT), sensor technology, geospatial technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Blockchain.

Major cities worldwide are now experiencing immense growth caused by rapid urbanization and industrialization over the past decades. Currently, more than half of the world’s population lives in the urban area and this number is projected to increase most likely to more than 65% by 2050. Nowadays, Asia has the highest number of urban dwellers, which subsequently followed by Europe and Africa. Back in 2000, Tokyo was the largest metropolitan area occupied by 37 million citizens, followed by New Delhi, Shanghai, Mexico City, and Sao Paulo. Other cities such as Cairo, Mumbai, Beijing, and Dhaka caught up with average inhabitants of around 20 million people. Urbanization has been recognized as the driver that has given a huge contribution that helps increase the economic development in urban cities on a global scale. Despite its positive influences for economic growth, urbanization has led to various urban challenges including but not limited to congestion, urban sprawl, environmental degradation, limited job opportunities, housing, and public safety.Along with the rise of information and communication technology (ICT) that is developing rapidly and disruptively in the past few years, traditional cities are changing by adopting the smart city concept aiming to address both its existing problems and future challenges. Even though there is no consensus yet among academics and policymakers about the definition of smart city concept, most of them agreed that smart city is a city development and management by considering the adoption of ICT in order to connect, monitor, and control various resources inside the city in an efficient and effective manner to optimize services for the people in performing their daily activities and to address the urban challenge. In general, a smart city should be seen more as an integrated system of sensors and processors integrated within the city’s infrastructure network rather than the employment of ICT specifically in a particular city domain. The concept of a smart city is currently presented as the solution to urban challenges by coming up with new innovations to solve the mounting problems faced by urban cities to make cities better connected and more efficient in terms of connection, coordination, usage of resources, resiliency and sustainability.

Infrastructure development in Indonesia creates massive impacts on the economy. The Light rail transit (LRT) of greater Jakarta (Jabodebek) project has been estimated to have cost more than 29 trillion rupiahs due to land acquisition and route planning. The urban transit development may impact to the price of property including residential, commercials and offices along the route. This research aims to determine variables affecting the price elasticity of property and the correlation to station proximity. Data mining through web scrapping was used to assess the degree of correlation between price elasticity and station location. The result shows that approximately 13% of the commercial property was spread over a distance of 1 km from the LRT station. The closer a property to transit station, the price will be twice cheaper compared to those located further. The findings also show variables that highly contribute to property prices including schools, hospitals, and proximity to some of transit stations located in city center of Jakarta and building density.

Several models have been developed to facilitate decision-making in disaster management, especially in relation to emergency resource allocations. These models are required in order for search and rescue personnel to operate efficiently. However, in Indonesia, in general, technology has not been used to help make decisions during the response phase; rather, these decisions are still made subjectively. This paper presents a decision-making model that helps search and rescue teams determine the number of personnel to deploy. Therefore, it streamlines the allocation of personnel in a search area, and it determines the number of personnel that are needed based on the area, population density, equipment, and the number of high buildings. Then, those variables are processed using a fuzzy expert system and a decision tree. The data and knowledge acquired as a reference were obtained from disaster management experts as well as experienced practitioners in the field of Search and Rescue.

This note is presented as continuance discussion in previous edition more focus on how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) contribute to create sustainable universities, sustainable future. As we know that university is an institution of higher education and research which awards academic degrees in various academic disciplines. Generally, it provides undergraduate education and postgraduate education involved large numbers of students, academic and non-academic staffs also wide areas of buildings. Hence, universities can be considered as “small cities” (Alshuwaikhat & Abubakar, 2008) whereas their massive daily activities in term of teaching, research, and community engagement, also movement of goods and persons inside and outside campuses have contributed greenhouse gases emission. We can see that universities have different type, function, size and buildings complexity, energy and electricity consumption, waste generation, water and materials consumption, public transportation, education activities and so forth so that obviously, they brought significant impacts on the environment within their boundaries. In regards to these facts, since the last two decades’ discussion on campuses’ externalities on environmental quality and integrity is profound and rise the need to consider sustainability in academic institutions.Many universities in developed countries have aware on this environmental issue, and take a lead in initiating and implementing policies on green and sustainability campus. For example, in US and UK where the greatest number of universities had actively involved in all aspects of sustainability (Puertas & Marti, 2019). Several Irish Universities set their policies on sustainability by referring to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), a document produced by the Irish government that explicitly targets as National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development in Ireland 2014-2020 (Shawe et al., 2019). Numbers of local and global association that strongly commit and put serious concern in sustainability issue such as Global Universities Partnership on Environment for Sustainability (GUPES), Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN), Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), Sustainability University Network (SUN) Thailand, Campus Sustainability Network in Japan (CAS-Net Japan) etc. have been established and significantly growth in number of participating university. Furthermore, as the UNDP 17 SDGs became widely global concern including the role of HEIs in achieving SDG targets by 2030, many more universities become aware regarding the implementation of sustainability efforts and their annual report on sustainability which related to SDGs. To appreciate and acknowledge universities who have strong commitment and works hard on campus sustainable efforts, UI GreenMetric World University Rankings was developed in 2010 as a tool to support green universities development (Suwartha & Riri, 2013). The ranking has 6 categories to be evaluated: firstly, the university landscape (setting and infrastructure), secondly the electricity consumption (energy and climate change), the third is waste management, the forth is water preservation, the fifth is green transportation for public, and the last is education and research that related to sustainability. From these 6 categories, some goals of the 17 SDGs are relevant such as goals 9 and 11 for category setting and infrastructure, goals 7, 12, and 13 for category energy and climate change, goals 3, 12, and 14 for category waste management, goal 6 for category water preservation, goals 13 and 15 for category green transportation, and goal 4 for category education and research. In 2018, 719 universities from 81 countries have participated in the rankings and have significantly changed their attitudes towards sustainability challenges in their own contexts. Having this large numbers of participants in global scale, UI GreenMetric World University Rankings Network (UIGWURN) was established in 2017 to be a platform for sharing best practices and encourage more universities to put sustainability agenda as one of their priorities. Currently, there are 29 country-based coordinators for the UIGWURN. The network has three main thematic priority activities: (1) Shaping Global Higher Education and Research in Sustainability; (2) Creating Global Sustainability Leaders; and (3) Partnering on Solutions to Sustainability Challenges.Significant impact of the UI GreenMetric ranking shown by the increasing number of participants, covered in dynamic regions of North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia and Oceania. Many participating universities through their website express sincere gratitude and proud that their continuous sustainability efforts have been acknowledged by listed in the ranking. Appreciation to UI GreenMetric ranking also given by the International Ranking Expert Group (IREG) as a global sustainable ranking for university. Though several authors gave critical analysis and positive feedback for a green ranking including UI GreenMetric (i.e. Ragazzi & Ghidini, 2017), some authors on contrary proposed a composite indicator developed using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and combined with UI GreenMetric that later known as the DEA-GreenMetric ranking (Puertas & Marti, 2019).Based on the above findings, it can be concluded that UI GreenMetric has been acknowledged globally as the only one sustainability ranking which relevancy simple, accessible, and has significant role as benchmark or guidance tools particularly for universities in developing countries towards creating sustainable universities, sustainable future. Nurturing Research and Technology DevelopmentIn order to hasten developments in all research areas, various improvement of technologies through alternative designs, methods, modeling, experiments, and observation is urgently required. In this context, this edition presents twenty papers dedicated to promote research in engineering and environmental that direct and indirectly contributes to sustainable development goals. The first paper, written by M.M. Julian, A. Brenning, S. Kralisch, and M. Fink, presents the hydrological implications of the spatial plan 2029 and climate change. The authors argue that the hydrological model able to explore the impacts of land-use change and climate change, providing useful information for urban planning, environmental decision making, and water resources management.The next paper, written by A.T. Juniati, D. Sutjiningsih, H. Soeryantono, and E. Kusratmoko, analyses water availability estimation using the modified Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) model. The authors argue that from the estimation of water availability, the water availability can still meet the water demand for current needs, but there will be shortage for the next 20 or 30 years.The third paper, written by S.G.P. Suvvari and V.V.S. Pasalapudi, examines the performance of encased silica-manganese slag stone columns in soft marine clay. The authors argue that the engineering behaviour of the soil was improved by introducing the Silica-Manganese slag than conventional stone columns and also with encasement length. The fourth paper, written by K.S. Vali and B. Murugan, investigates the impact of nano SiO2 particles on the physical and mechanical properties of cold-bonded artificial lightweight aggregates by the pelletization process. The authors argue that the results could be very useful in the enhancement of both the physical and mechanical properties of lightweight aggregates.The fifth paper, written by P. Sukapto, J.R. Octavia, P.A.D. Pundarikasutra, P. K. Ariningsih, and S. Susanto, evaluates occupational health and safety and in the home-based footwear industry. As a result, the authors recommend that the workshops need to improve their working environment, work facilities, safety climate and participatory ergonomics of the employees.The next paper, written by I.Z. Sutalaksana, S.Z.Z. Zakiyah, and A. Widyanti, examines the link risk behavior and accident rates in military tools manufacturer. The authors argue that occupational safety can be achieved through individual approaches based on basic human values and risk perception.The seventh paper, written by O. L. Driouach, K. Zarbane, and Z. Beidouri, reviews the use of lean manufacturing in small and medium-sized enterprises. The authors argue that the proposed alternative model can be used to implement lean manufacturing for the specific context of very small businesses (VSBs). The eighth paper, written by M. Iman, E.M. Yuniarno, and A.G. Sooai, proposes a low-cost system for capturing motion using stereo webcam and some daily house grade tools that has been specifically designed for theatre. The authors argue that the proposed system creates high accuracy and cost efficient. The next paper, written by T.M. Amine and A. Djebbari, proposes a method for building low-density-parity-check (LDPC) codes. The authors argue that the proposed codes ensure a very low encoding complexity and reduce the stored memory of the matrix H in which this matrix can be easily built comparing to others codes used in channel coding.The tenth paper, written by A. Khumaeni, H. Sutanto, and W.S. Budi, examines the use of an Nd:YAG laser operated at a low-energy of 30 mJ to produce gold nanoparticles. The authors argue that the gold nanoparticles with narrow size distribution and high purity can be successfully produced using the PLA technique.The eleventh paper, written by N.R Yanti, H. Heryani, M.D. Putra, and A. Nugroho, examines the triacetin production from glycerol using heterogeneous catalysts prepared from peat clay. The authors argue that the the conversion of glycerol for triacetin production using such alumina and silica catalysts yielded levels of 82.7% and 87.4% respectively. The next paper, written by M. Muslim, M.I. Alhamid, Nasruddin, M. Yulianto, and E. Marzuki, examines the variations in heat source temperatures for an organic rankine cycle power plant to produce electricity. The authors argue that optimum power estimation was measured several electrical power outputs between 1.76 and 2.74 kilowatts.The thirteenth paper, written by M. Dani, A. Dimyati, Parikin, D.R. Adhika, A.K. Jahja, A. Insani, Syahbuddin and C.A. Huang, examines the microstructure and deformation of austenitic super alloy after arc plasma sintering. The authors argue that the arc plasma sintering leads to a decrease in the area of the eutectic structure at the inter-dendrites and forms micro straine. The fourteenth paper, written by J.F. Fatriansyah, M. Joshua, R. Lailani and M. Chalid, presents crystallization kinetics study of impact polypropylene copolymer with kenaf as nucleating agent and reinforcement. The authors argue that that better crystal growth dynamics yields better mechanical strength in the IPC+kenaf system. The next paper, written by B. Priyono, A.Z. Syahrial, M.R. Nugraha, D. Sepala, Faizah and A. Subhan, examines the performance optimization of micro composites for lithium-ion batteries. The authors argue that the compounds of micro composites were successfully synthesized and obtained a reasonably high surface area and minimum aggregation.The sixteenth paper, written by A.S. Baskoro, R.P Kurniawan and Haikal, evaluates the 2-axis movement of a 5-axis gantry robot for welding applications. The authors argue that the best level of robot accuracy is 0.83% at a velocity of 2.5 mm/s, while the repeatability rate produces 96 ?m and 108 ?m on the X and Y axis.The next paper, written by D. Suwandi, R. Aziz, A. Sifa, E. Haris, J. Istiyanto and Y. Whulanza, examines the application of dry film photoresist on printed circuit board (PCB). The authors argue that the maskless photolithography process successfully conducted using DLP Projector Infocus IN114A applied to dry films photoresist. The eighteenth paper, written by H. Iridiastadi, B. Anggawisnu, F.S. Didin, and P.A.R. Yamin, presents the prediction of dynamic axial crushing on a square tube with eight holes used as a crush initiator. The author argues that the proposed formulas can be used to predict average force, peak force and energy absorption of the dynamic axial crushing. The nineteenth paper, written by I. Abar and I.K.A.P. Utama, examines the effect of incline angle of propeller boss cap fins (PBCF) on ship propeller performance. The authors argue that the PBCF convergent hub results in increased efficiency of around 0.8%, whereas the divergent type decreases efficiency by about 1.0%.The last paper, written by M.Z.M.A. Zubair and S.I. Latumahina, investigates progressive collapse of the local elements and ultimate strength of a ro-ro ship. As a result, the authors argue that the deformation of the local elements on the deck and bottom parts indicate that stress concentration appearead.We hope that this edition of IJTech conveys some new insights in the way we conduct our research. We are pleased to accept and respond to any comment or enquiry you may have on the direction and content of IJTech, and we invite you to join us in this venture by sending your work for consideration.

This research study examines the CSFs in UIC to ensure the success of any collaboration. Thirteen success factors were evaluated by respondents from industry and public research universities in order to identify the most critical ones. Adopting a quantitative research strategy, both groups of respondents were selected based on their experience of involvement in UIC projects. Similarities and differences in the two university and industry perspectives were identified. Universities focused more on the quality of the researcher, commitment and financial support as the main factors in ensuring the success of the collaboration. As regards their industrial counterparts, some similar factors to the universities were highlighted. In addition, the industrial partners were concerned with constant communication and strong teamwork as the main ingredients of successful implementation of UIC projects. By understanding the similarities and the differences, a positive environment can be created and thus both parties will prioritize the relevant factors when conducting collaborative activities.

This note is presented as part of the continuous discussion on how science and technology contribute to improving quality of life and sustaining our planet. Sustainable development goals (SDGs) are established to end poverty, improve health and education, and promote prosperity and well-being through environmental sustainability. The 2030 Agenda philosophy of “no one left behind” requires global partnerships and participation in the integration of environmental, social, economic, and governance dimensions in the process of development. The concept of sustainable development is conceived as a balance of sustainable economic growth and ecological regeneration. Sustainable development requires the implementation of appropriate environmentally friendly technologies that are both efficient and adaptable to local conditions. In this situation, eco-technology can facilitate the conservation and restoration of the environment through the integration of engineering and ecological principles. The development of science and technology plays a significant role in achieving SDG targets by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of new and more sustainable development methods. Investments in green technology, efficient and effective processes, safer materials, and improved performance and outcomes are some of the results of such development. These actions show how technological applications and developments have been utilized to comply with the principles of social, economic, and ecologic welfare. Developing technology, creating innovation, and producing breakthrough solutions are critical for delivering SDG targets, from eradication of poverty to improving food security to reversing climate change. Investments are a vital instrument to foster appropriate technological development. Strong collaboration in private and public partnerships will accelerate appropriate and sustainable technological development, scale-up, and transfer in order to generate more social benefits and economic returns while reducing environmental impacts. The development of frugal and high-tech innovation requires the application of better solutions that produce effective products, processes, and services to meet new requirements and needs. Achieving sustainable economic growth will require changes in business processes. Industries need to become energy and resource efficient and minimize waste. Technological developments for utilizing renewable energy resources, building urban water systems and sustainable public infrastructure, increasing food production, and producing environmentally friendly materials and products are among the pathways by which technology will significantly contribute to the achievement of SDG targets. Through Industry 4.0, technology today plays a significant role in sustainable social, environmental, and economic development. Consideration of the scarcity and constraints of natural resources in new technological development will lead to more robust and better technological processes that produce more attractive products and services. Information and communication technology (ICT) is driving innovation, efficiency, and effectiveness across all sectors and resources by providing everyone with the potential to access and share information and then utilize it to create new opportunities. It is changing the way businesses are managed. ICT can also be used to assist governments in delivering better public services as well as creating smart and resilient cities. ICT has improved the way we work and live as well as our outlook on the development of urban areas. The fourth industrial revolution has made it possible for us to transform production, management, and governance into more effective and efficient systems in connected societies.The well-being of our future is dependent on our production of technology to govern our climate, health, social equity, and stability. Industry 4.0 can be used to mitigate problems and provide solutions for enhancing our way of life through sustainable products and services. The creativity and innovation of technological development contributes to improving the global environment by producing green, resource-secure, and inclusive economies for all. Furthermore, technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, machine learning, 3D printing, etc. can be used to create, expand, and monitor the effectiveness of sustainable development and environmental compliance across the globe. Industry 4.0 can be efficiently used to control and improve resources, energy, water, and waste by connecting and automatically exchanging information via intra- and inter-systems. As technology changes the way we live, it will continue to have a profound impact on the way we regenerate and protect our environment through sustainability.Challenges to future civilization—including population pressure, climate change, energy security, environmental degradation, water and food availability, and sustainable development—need to be wisely addressed. We are all given the opportunity to collaborate and work together to reduce inequality, end poverty, protect the environment, and improve our society’s quality of life and well-being. Sustainable development requires institutional and value changes as well as cultural adjustments. Sustainable development must be incorporated into mainstream policies to promote national and international cooperation.

Housing development, as part of economic development, must be supported by energy availability in order to achieve sustainable growth. One of the approaches to supporting renewable energy promotion is to design and build energy efficient housing. However, the optimal design of such buildings faces two conflicting requirements, namely the consideration of cost effectiveness and minimum environmental impact. The high costs of energy efficient buildings, such as the near Zero Energy House (nZEH), are due to the high price of the materials and equipment used, such as photovoltaic (PV) panels, insulation and other supporting materials. Indonesia is situated on the equator and benefits from sunlight throughout the year. Nonetheless, this potential has not been fully realized, as the solar-generated energy technology for housing comes at a high price. Therefore, the objective of this study is to find the cost optimum combination of validated design variables for an nZEH which suit the tropical climate conditions of Indonesia. Experiments and a case study are employed in the study to validate the design variables for an optimum nZEH design, which include building orientation, PV panels, fenestration, and passive design. The study finds that the cost optimum nZEH design achieved 72 percent site-energy savings and 21 percent savings in the total Net Present Value (NPV) of life cycle costs, with insignificant incremental initial construction costs in enhancing the design.

Advances in technology have led to more production of environmental friendly projects, products and services. As our colleagues from Germany and Japan highlight the importance of Industry 4.0 and Society 5.0, and after a series of my previous notes on technology and sustainable development, I would like now to extend our discussion on how the latest technology can be a powerful mechanism to improve our standard of living and sustain our mother earth. Industry 4.0 emerged from innovative digital technology to create value creation, whilst Society 5.0 is argued as a human-centered society that balances economic advancement with Industry 4.0. On the other hand, the environment has provided us with natural resources that speed up the growth of our industries and economies towards sustainability. Nature 5.0 is proposed as regenerating nature, so it enables us to invent the technology that helps us in sustaining the earth as our living place. It follows creation (Nature 1.0), adaptation (Nature 2.0), evolution (Nature 3.0), and coalition (Nature 4.0). After the existence of Earth, the adaptation stage is the process that makes organisms better suited to their habitat. Interactions between organisms produce evolutions of fitness, and over hundred years later, evolution has caused us to promote and share the Earth’s natural resources. The advancements in the technology revolution have allowed us to play a significant role in shaping and regenerating nature. The technology has enormous environmental impacts, including negative impacts like rising levels of pollution, to positive impacts like revitalization of the Earth’s landscape. The environmental changes have altered the evolution of life, and with the advancement of technology, changes have fed back to alter the environment. We evolve together. We need to come out with more environmentally friendly technology that can be used in our food, farming and energy; and further, to create sustainable smart cities and industrial development as our standard for human well-being. Transforming and regenerating the Earth as well as our development pattern will be useful to future generations. The well-being of our future will be dependent on how we can produce technology that can govern our climate, health, social equity and stability. Technology 4.0 can be used to mitigate and provide a solution for enhancing our way of life by producing sustainable products and services. For example, by using an advance information technology system, we are creating new ways to reduce transportation emissions and manage resource consumption, in a way that is better for the economy, community and environment. The creativity and innovation of technology development contributes to improving the global environment by producing green, resource-secure and inclusive economies for all. Furthermore, technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), data analytics, machine learning, 3D printing, etc, can be used to create, expand and monitor the effectiveness of sustainable development and environmental compliance across the globe. Industry 4.0 can be efficiently used to control and to improve required resources, energy, water and waste by connecting and automatically exchanging information via intra- and inter-systems. Moreover, financial incentives through government policy and market-based approaches can be implemented and monitored by charging a price on environmental and social costs, such as renewable resources deployment and pollution reduction. Partnership and collaborative processes from all stakeholders are required to enhance the acceleration and adoption of technologies for environmental regeneration and quality of life improvement. In this context, policy makers, business practitioners, scientists, and smart societies are working together to add sustainable value to reinforce the positive aspects of technology’s effect on nature. As technology changes the way we live, it will continue to have a profound impact on the way we regenerate and protect our environment sustainability.

Existing buildings have a huge opportunity in terms of energy and water savings potential in Indonesia. In Jakarta alone, it is estimated that least 90 percent of total buildings were built before 2014. The general perception of having a more energy-efficient existing building is associated with a higher upfront cost and how to finance it. To overcome these issues, incentives have been considered as one important pull factor to implement energy efficiency retrofits (EERs). To identify types of incentive that might work in Indonesia city context, it is important to develop a framework that can be adopted nationally. This research aims to identify the key factors that can be integrated into the framework. To do that, an extensive electronic literature review, added with archival study and case studies analysis using Jakarta as a model for Indonesian cities in implementing green building code. A comprehensive analysis of favorable policy, existing building stock data, study on possible incentive mechanism and added with case studies are presented. From the analysis, it is concluded existing supporting policy, potential energy savings from existing building stock and local capacity are equally important factors. It is expected that these findings will be utilized as the key factors for developing a framework on expediting EERs to be adopted in Indonesia cities, which is an important key to untap the potential energy savings from existing building stock.

Economic, social, and environmental sustainability comprise the general motivations in most green building developments. Deciding to spend additional costs on the optimum benefit results generally applies the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) method to evaluate green building implementation. However, previous studies have not investigated the general aspects affecting green building achievements in CBA. This article proposes the development of a CBA method for evaluating building aspects to define the goals of green building indicators. Disaggregating of the building development attributes and indicators through literature review showed that the CBA in green building implementation measured by several aspects such as regional, knowledge-based, and economic. The research method used a simple flow diagram to classify the building development attributes and indicators. This flow process aggregates attributes and indicators based on the CBA aspects in green building implementation. In-depth interviews with several building development experts are carried out to ensure this conceptual development implemented. This work confirmed that efficiency achievement, financial evaluation, and national economic evaluation measured the feasibility of investment in green building development. Incentive schemes were expected as the financial breakthrough to enhance green building investment feasibility.

Infrastructure is arguably one of the main drivers of developmental growth, as it provides social, as well as economic, benefits to society. The development of infrastructure becomes a way to combat poverty as well as increase productivity and enable competitive advantage. Continuing my notes last year on the role of public–private partnership (PPP) in accelerating infrastructure development, I would now like to extend our discussion to deepening the important principles to optimize the partnership. Many governments are now developing closer partnerships with the private sector to achieve mutual benefits in generating massive development of sustainable projects by stimulating private sector participation as well as increasing infusions of investment funds. The need to deliver adequate PPP due-diligence analysis is important to ensure that projects are well designed and developed. This is required to ensure that PPPs are successful by creating fair sharing of resources, risks, responsibilities, expertise and rewards planned for implementation among stakeholders. A key factor for the successful implementation of the PPP scheme is project feasibility, which is assessed through value for money and optimum benefits for stakeholders. The partnership requires delivering measurable results through stakeholders’ mutual benefits. Therefore, there are three principles that need to guide the partnership: (1) the government can succeed in providing public infrastructure; (2) the private sector can gain adequate profits; and (3) there can be reasonable community pricing for accessing infrastructure services. Failure to comply with any of the above principles contributes to the lack of partnership success in public project development. Furthermore, in order to create optimum benefits and to increase project feasibility, innovative and value-added infrastructure projects must be contemplated during project development. In other words, creating value-added infrastructure projects can be defined as a way to increase the feasibility of projects by creating innovation, generating efficiency and conducting technology transfer, thereby optimizing benefits for all stakeholders through multi-sector collaboration in producing integrated and multi-functional public projects. The underlying concept is to maximize project benefits and enhance total cost efficiency; for example, the production of multi-functional infrastructure such as the PRASTI (Public RAilways and STormwater Infrastructure) Tunnel or highway bridges above the sea that are able to generate renewable tidal energy attached to the sub-structure. Efforts to achieve cost effectiveness and to generate additional benefits form the basis for project planning and development. Value-added projects will directly affect financing and partnership schemes. There are four financial scenarios that can generate the project feasibility of partnerships between the government and the private sector: first, the initial cost-sharing scenario; second, the operation and maintenance cost-sharing scenario; third, the initial cost and operation and maintenance cost-sharing scenario; and fourth, the initial cost, operation and maintenance cost, and revenue-sharing scenario. As a consequence of the first three financial scenarios, there are several types of partnership schemes that are commonly used, including Design-Build-Finance-Operate (DBFO), Design-Build-Operate (DBO), Design-Build-Maintain (DBM) and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT). Furthermore, it is argued that the last scenario can produce optimum benefits for stakeholders by generating a new form of contractual partnership agreement, the Build-Operate-Share-Transfer (BOST) scheme. In BOST, the public and private sectors share costs and revenues during projects’ life cycles. Based on our research findings, the system engineering that produces value-added project planning and development could increase feasibility by up to 10%, and furthermore, the financial engineering and partnership scheme could contribute up to another 10% in project feasibility. Optimizing planning systems and financial partnerships clearly contributes to the achievement of optimum feasibility, not only to distribute the investment burden but also to improve project benefits.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has assigned a high priority to supporting regional development in Southeast Asia. As the ASEAN countries continue to urbanize rapidly, shaping sustainable cities becomes increasingly important, particularly with regard to the development of adequate infrastructures. Infrastructure is a critical element in connectivity within the ASEAN region, and with significant growth in ASEAN trade and investment, productivity and growth must be sustained and enhanced by investing more resources in urban infrastructure. The growth and diversification of the ASEAN economy depends on financing and developing long-term infrastructures, with adequate planning, funding, building and operation of urban infrastructure mechanisms for the development of sustainable cities. Urban sustainability provides opportunities for capital investment through urban renewal and infrastructure improvements. Public-private partnerships can be used to accelerate city development by attracting private sector funding for the development of sustainable infrastructure.Urban infrastructure encompasses the essential facilities, services, and social structures that ensure the productivity and well-being of cities and communities. Transport, housing, telecommunication, energy, and water infrastructure are among the basic infrastructures that are necessary for urban development and growth. Societal wellbeing also depends on other infrastructures, including various forms of social infrastructure. Meeting the challenges of city development, from traffic jams and inefficient buildings to social inequality and poverty, demands innovative urban planning and technological and governance models that enable cities to become more sustainable. It is clear that the trend toward accelerated urbanization creates greater opportunities for economic growth and improving quality of life, and urban ecosystems and green infrastructure development are important assets for the sustainable city. Advancing Urban Infrastructure Development In this special edition of IJTech, we are pleased to present twenty two selected papers from the first CSID AUN-SCUD International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructure and Urban Development 2018 and the Scholar Summit 2017 on shaping a better world by enhancing research capacity and contributions to address national, regional, and global challenges. The conferences were organized by the ASEAN University Network (AUN) for Sustainable Cities and Urban Development, the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure Development (CSID), and Universitas Indonesia. The event attracted papers and presentations from ASEAN countries and from the United Kingdom, the United States, China, and elsewhere. As a medium for best practice and knowledge exchange, the CSID AUN-SCUD conference discusses sustainable development issues and how governments, academics, and industry can contribute to shaping a better future for society.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the collection of global sustainability goals set by the United Nations General Assembly and they are widely drawn on and paid particular attention to by three main stakeholders (the triple helix): governments, industries, and higher education institutions (HEIs). Governments play a key role in achieving development goals and targets through, for instance, setting and implementing water quality policy frameworks and standards, regulating the discharge of pollutants into the environment, as well as managing wastewater, recycling, and reuse of water (UNDESA, 2015). The ninth goal of the SDGs (or Goal 9) points out that industry, as it develops, drives an increase of value addition and enhances the application of science, technology, and innovation; consequently, industries are challenged to invest in skills and education and thus to provide the resources necessary to meet broader, inclusive, and sustainable development objectives (UN, 2018). Many universities attempt to articulate the processes relationships embedded in the educational model, leading to the alignment of the HEI strategy with the SDGs (Fleac? et al., 2018). In summary, the main idea of integrating the triple helix is to enhance the production of research at universities that is based on the most critical demands or market needs, accelerated and supported by relevant industries, and ultimately implemented by governments as a favorable policy.In order to achieve sustainable development (environmental, social, and economic equity), three basic elements—management, design, and technology—are very important and play significant roles. Environmentally sound design (i.e., green building for sustainable building construction) is a must and is becoming a principle criterion for new building construction projects. Innovative and higher-level design is making critical improvements to components that are expected to function properly in order to contribute to high performance products (Berawi, 2014). On the other hand, the quality of products as output of design is increasingly dependent on highly innovative design and technology. Technology innovation plays a critical role in expediting a transition to a sustainable mode of development and it is becoming an important instrument used to increase the flow of new ideas and next-generation products (Berawi, 2015). The very success of the process of creating valuable products is greatly determined by how seriously management is taken or implemented. For example, good construction project performance can contribute to increasing the resource efficiency and reducing the impact on the environment during the construction lifecycle (Berawi et al., 2013). In this special edition of IJTech, we are pleased to present twenty selected papers from the fifth International Conference on Soft Science 2018 (ISSC, 2018) that focus on areas related to the field of “soft science” in management. The conference was organized by the Research and Innovation Management Centre (RIMC) of the Universiti Utara Malaysia and created for students, researchers, and professionals, such as media, to discuss and share research and ideas in order to strengthen field management in relation to “soft science”, thus contributing to the creation of a sustainable future for the community.